"Tory self-scrutiny must stop" - Brooks

3.29.07pm BST (GMT +0100) Sat 3rd May 2008

Councillor Jeff Brooks, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group on West Berkshire Council, has slammed the Conservative administration for continuing to monopolise the key committee which should act to hold them to account for their actions.

Following a review on how "well" the Overview & Scrutiny Commission is apparently working, presented to the Council's Executive last week, Councillor Brooks has decided to call in the report for further consideration. The Overview & Scrutiny Commission is supposed to check on how well the Conservative Administration is running the Council, but like the Council's Executive, it, too, is run by the Conservatives.

"Where is the sense in having part of the Conservative Group running the Council as the Executive and another group of Conservatives checking up on them?" commented Councillor Brooks.

"The whole point of scrutiny is to hold the Council to account in the interests of the public. It's like being allowed to mark your own homework - are they really going to give themselves a D when they can mark themselves with an A+? This report even says 'The Commission is considered to be working well' but doesn't back it up with any evidence or even state who thinks it's working well!

"We have called this report in which demonstrates the complete irony of the situation - it will now go back to the Overview & Scrutiny Commission for further investigation where no doubt the Conservatives will simply endorse it, before sending it back to the Conservative Executive!"